Sadly, our Principal, Mike Fowler, will leave Te Puna Wai o Waipapa at the end of this year. Mike has served Hagley for the last 34 years, first as an After 3 English teacher, then HOD English, Deputy Principal and, more recently for the last six years, as Principal.

As Principal, Mike has worked tirelessly with various agencies and community groups to maintain the school’s profile in the community and to ensure that the school is well resourced. With his background in English teaching Mike is very passionate about the arts, in particular writing, and he has worked energetically to make Hagley a home for creative writers within Christchurch. He worked with Morrin Rout to set up the Hagley Writers' Institute and he also masterminded the development of the old library into the Writers' Block.

Mike has played a major role over the years in developing the After 3 programme when government policy around funding for community classes changed; he was instrumental in the set up of UC@Hagley; he has introduced a number of short courses – Catch Up, Step Up, Fresh Start, Fast Path to name a few. He has driven the current building project since the beginning phase of the development of the Education brief in 2016 and has worked with the Christchurch City Council in planning for Christchurch to have a multi-cultural centre in the near future.

Mike has also had a very high profile in education nationally. He played a major role in the development of the English area of the current New Zealand Curriculum and in the early 2000s he led the development of resources for English Achievement Standards, as well as leading professional development for teachers to enable them to implement the standards effectively. His extensive work nationally in the English subject area has led to Mike being made a life member of the New Zealand Association for the Teaching of English in 2017.

It has to be said that whatever Mike does he does at pace and to the highest level. For many years he has been rowing for the Union Rowing Club and has won a range of bronze, silver and gold medals in a variety of masters events, including a gold medal at the World Masters event in 2017. Earlier this year he was also made a Life member of the Union Rowing Club.

We wish Mike and his wife, Clare, health and happiness as they move on to new challenges. We thank him sincerely for his 34 years’ service to Te Puna Wai o Waipapa/Hagley College and most particularly for his inspirational leadership as Tumuaki for the last six years.

Kia ora i tō mahi. Haere rā Mike.